The present invention relates to a method and system for generating a trigger signal in response to the detection of an attack transient; e.g. the moment of string release for a plucked string on an acoustic car electric guitar; in a signal generated by a musical instrument. The trigger signal can then be used to control processing of the signal from the musical instrument.
Prior systems have generated such trigger signals in one of two ways. In the first type of prior system a predetermined threshold level is used to define when the trigger signal is generated. The level of the musical instrument signal must increase to a level that is greater than the threshold level in order for the trigger to be generated and the trigger signal cannot occur again until the signal level from the musical instrument has decreased below the threshold level; thereby requiring musicians to carefully monitor their playing style in order generate a trigger for each note. The second type of prior system uses specialized equipment, such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,911,053, to generate the trigger signal, which requires the musician to purchase additional, often expensive, equipment.